Cashew Vegetable Korma

This is a rich, warming, vegan dish bathed in a sauce based on cashews and coconut milk. Korma is one of my favorite winter foods, and there are dozens of variations on the sauce base–some use yogurt or cream, for instance. This is a dairy-free version that works well with any type of vegetables you like. For this I used a mix of cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots, green beans, and onion, but one of my favorite variations is eggplant korma. Use whatever looks good, just cut the vegetables so they will cook at roughly the same speed.

For the sauce I used some organic roasted, salted cashews from SunRidge Farms, which are roasted with no added oils. I also scattered a few on top, for textural contrast. For the curry powder, use your favorite brand and adjust the amounts according to your preferred spice levels.

1 can coconut milk (14 or 15 ounces--shake the can well before opening)

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons ginger paste

1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and stemmed

1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder (I like Penzy's Maharaja blend)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small, white onion, peeled and sliced

Several cups of vegetables of your choice (I used one small cauliflower, 8 ounces sliced mushrooms, two medium carrots, and two cups of green beans)

water, as needed

salt, to taste

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, stir the cup of cashews into the coconut milk and let them soak for an hour.

Pour the coconut milk and cashews into a blender. Add the garlic, ginger, jalapeno, curry powder, and turmeric. Blend until the mixture is smooth.

In a large pot with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until it is soft, but not browned. Add the remaining vegetables to the pot and pour the coconut milk mixture over the top. Add two cups of water and about a half teaspoon of salt.

Cover the pot, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to be sure the sauce doesn't burn. Add more water if the sauce is too thick. When the vegetables are tender, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve the korma hot, sprinkled with some additional cashews.

3.1.01

If you are making dinner for a mixed carnivore and vegan crowd, korma will make everyone happy.

You can definitely skip the soaking part, it just makes it a little smoother if they are soaked first. If you don’t have time to soak them it will still be nice and creamy, the cashews will just not break down quite as well. I often skip the step and I am still happy with the sauce.

I love the slight sweetness of cashews in korma. I used to buy a premade korma in the UK that was mostly cashews with just a few pieces of chicken. It was probably loaded with salt and sugar but boy was it ever good. I can’t waitt to give your healthy version a try. This looks so good Angela.

This looks really great! I’m a big fan of indian food, and I make it quite regularly. I haven’t found a good recipe for Vegetable Korma, but this looks like what I was seaching for. I’m going to give it a go. Thanks!

I made this recipe last night. It was very good! Easy to make and good flavor, packed with nutrients! When I make it again, I will probably kick it up a notch. I only put one tablespoon of curry powder. Next time I will put 2, and maybe even do two jalapeños. The other thing was that the consistency was a little bit runnier than I would’ve liked, so I might reduce the amount of water I put in and next time only add 1 3/4.

Kim, I really use whatever I have on hand, but I pretty much always include cauliflower, mushrooms, and green beans. I often use cubed sweet potatoes, too. It’s a really versatile recipe–I hope you like it!

Hi, just wondering. We have cashew butter but not cashews. Would that work, if just blended with the coconut milk? In my mind, it may allow me to skip a step too! Thanks- this looks like a fantastic recipe that can help us serve korma up vegetarian style!

I have never prepared any kind of korma but Love it with cashews in restaurants. Instead of going out to my fav Indian place, I’m going to stay in my kitchen and give your recipe a try. If it turns out as good as it sounds, theirs may see me far less often! Thanks for the post, Angela! And to all those who’ve commented!

Sam, how much water did you add? The flavor all comes from the spices, so if it lacked flavor it could be due to 1. old spices or 2. not adding enough curry and/or adding too much water. And of course you can always add more curry/garlic/ginger to taste.

I’ve just found this recipe and it looks delicious – I was just wondering if it’s ok to use raw unsalted cashews instead of salted/roasted ones and just add a little salt? Can’t wait to try it and my husband will be happy as he’s been pestering me to do a vegetable korma for ages!